


Office Gossip

by juniperberry



Category: Gakuen Tokkei DUKLYON | Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 15:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14216670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniperberry/pseuds/juniperberry
Summary: The Higashikunimaru Corporation was a lot like any other office—people worked in cubicles, in small offices, at desks with barriers of photographs, paperwork, and little knickknacks. And of course they gossiped.





	Office Gossip

Finally posting some old fics I wrote lo many years ago.

Disclaimer: These are CLAMP's characters, I'm just borrowing them.

 

The Higashikunimaru Corporation was a lot like any other office—people worked in cubicles, in small offices, at desks with barriers of photographs, paperwork, and little knickknacks. And of course they gossiped.

Lately, a lot of gossip had centered around the new president—the old president’s son—and at first the talk had been about how cheerful he was, how friendly, and how odd. Particularly once he’d hired his secretary.

Tanaka tossed her carefully coifed hair. “I heard him yell out of his limo the other day, at his secretary,” she said. Sakamoto and Suzuki, her fellow OL’s, leaned in and listened closely. “He called Shukaido-san “darling” and said he’d made him a bento.”

Suzuki’s eyes went wide behind her glasses. “Oh, my! How did Shukaido-san react?”

“He just sort of ignored it, but Hayashi-san said he heard raised voices from the president’s office later that morning. He said it sounded like Shukaido-san was yelling at Higashikunimaru-sama.”

Sakamoto and Suzuki both gasped. “He yelled at the president! Who does he think he is?”

“And I heard,” Sakamoto said, “that the president interfered with his placement. Shukaido-san should have gone into one of the lower offices—management, at the highest. The president insisted Shukaido-san take the job of being the president’s secretary.”

“After something kind like that,” Suzuki breathed, “Shukaido-san shouldn’t be yelling at Higashikunimaru-sama! He should be grateful!”

Tanaka smirked. “Well,” she drawled, “I also heard that they went to the same school. Shukaido-san apparently got in on a scholarship. I think….”

Sakamoto and Suzuki leaned in. “Yes?”

“Ah, well, who’s to say Shukaido-san doesn’t have some sort of hold on our dear Higashikunimaru-sama? I mean, the president does all sorts of odd things for him—he makes him bento, and calls him all sorts of pet names. I think Shukaido-san either has some sort of black mail material, or….”

Suzuki and Sakamoto leaned in even further. “Or…?”

“I think Shukaido-san has been sleeping his way to the top.”

It took a moment, but then both women’s eyes went wide, and Tanaka could see that they had nearly squealed. “No!”

“No way!”

“The president can’t swing that way! He’s too cute!”

“And Shukaido-san is good looking, but he’s so serious! He’d never do something like that!”

“How else do you explain it?” Tanaka finished off her water and crushed the paper cup in her hand. “That’s the only explanation that makes sense. Shukaido-kun is taking advantage of our president’s generosity and warm feelings, and using him to get what he wants.”

The three shook their heads and left the break room. “Poor Higashikunimaru-sama,” Sakamoto said. “I wonder how he can let it go on?”

They rounded a corner and stopped, as though their feet had suddenly turned into boulders too heavy to move.

Down the hall, by the employee lockers, were the objects of their office gossip.

“Takepon,” the president said, “I can give you a ride home in my car.”

“I have a bike,” Shukaido said shortly. He rummaged in his locker.

“It’s a nice bike,” the president said, nodding. “But what about when it rains? I don’t want you to catch cold, Takepon!”

“Don’t call me ‘Takepon’ at work,” Shukaido said. His face was turning red. “It’s unprofessional, Mr. President.”

The president snorted. “So I can call you ‘Takepon’ after work? On breaks? At lunch? Before work, while I’m giving you a ride so you don’t catch cold and feeding you bento like a good wife….”

Shukaido had stopped rummaging. He was trembling. “Mr. President,” he said, “this is a very unprofessional conversation.”

“Well, I want to be a good wife, Takepon, and you really make it hard to be a good wife at work—“

“Because. You. Are. My. Boss.” Shukaido turned to look at the president, who still leaned against the wall as if he came to the employee lounge every day, and that it wasn’t an almost-unheard of occurrence.

The president sniffed. “So I’m not a good wife? Are my bentos not good enough? Are the omelets too dry? The onigiri too moist?”

Whatever hold Shukaido had on his temper snapped. “Knock it off, Kentaro! Your bentos taste great! You know they do! And you aren’t my wife!”

The president perked up right away. “I’m so glad to hear you like the bentos, Takepon! I’ll make an extra-big one tomorrow!” He paused, and looked at Shukaido sternly. “And I would be your wife, if you’d only propose like a gentleman! I would like to be asked.”

Shukaido’s jaw dropped. “Kentaro. We—“

“Kenpi.”

“…What.”

The president tapped Shukaido’s nose. “Takepon.” He pointed to his own face. “Kenpi. You know this, Takepon.”

“…Kentaro. You can’t be my wife. We’re both men.”

Higashikunimaru-sama sniffed. “You’re following the prejudices of society,” he said. “I want to be your wife, Takepon! I didn’t learn to knit for nothing!”

“You’re the president of a multi-billion yen corporation! What do you want to be my wife for? I’m poor, you know!”

“I know! But I’d give this up for you, you know that.”

Shukaido stared at the president. So did the three office ladies, huddled together by the corner.

“Don’t talk stupid.” There was a sort of shaking desperation in Shukaido’s voice.

“I’m not.” Higashikunimaru-sama was smiling, and all trace of joking was gone. “I’ve wanted to be with you since high school, Takeshi. You’re my best friend. I make you bento, and only you, because I want to show you how serious I am. I want to be your wife and take care of you.”

Shukaido shook his head, speechless, and pulled out a hand-knit scarf from his locker. The president practically lit up.

“Ah, you do use it! I wondered, since I’ve never seen you wear it.”

Shukaido was very red in the face. “Yeah, I wear it.”

“Do you want a matching hat? I could probably knit one up this weekend….”

“Kentaro.” Shukaido stood up and closed his locker, his briefcase in one hand and his jacket and scarf slung over his arm. “Did you mean it? About giving all this up?”

The office ladies held their breaths.

“Takeshi. I wouldn’t joke about that.”

Shukaido shook his head. “You,” he said, “you’re an idiot. I think Erii killed too many brain cells when she whacked you with those mallets.”

“I’m a fool in love,” the president sighed, and draped an arm around Shukaido’s shoulders. “Well, Takepon, since you won’t accept my offer of a ride home, I’ll walk you to your bike, okay?”

Shukaido looked at him. “Okay. But no more ‘darling,’ or I’ll smack you.”

The president laughed. “Okay. I guess I can always use ‘sweet cheeks,’ or ‘cuddle bear,’ or ‘honey,’ or ‘baby cakes,’ or….”

“Kentaro.”

“Yes, Takepon?”

“Do me a favor. Don’t talk at all until I’m on my bike, okay?”

Higashikunimaru-sama’s laughter followed them down the hall. Tanaka was the first to move away from the corner, but Sakamoto was the first to speak.

“How sweet!”

Suzuki and Tanaka turned to her. “What?” They chorused.

“Higashikunimaru-sama has been in love with Shukaido-san since high school! And Shukaido-san returns his feelings! You can tell!” She sighed. “Oh, it’s nice to know the president isn’t being taken advantage of.”

Suzuki cocked her head. “How can you tell how Shukaido-san feels?”

“It was written all over him! He’s been the president’s secretary for over a year, right? If he was just using the president, he would be a lot sweeter to him—you know, really cuddling up. And if he really hated working here, he’d quit and find another job. With the references he has, it wouldn’t be hard. And they’re really good friends—they called each other by their first names, no honorifics at all.” Sakamoto was beaming. “It’s so nice to know it’s a romance, a forbidden relationship coming into bloom! That makes me feel much better.”

“Forbidden…” Tanaka said.

“…Relationship?” Suzuki finished. The three OL’s looked at each other.

“Well,” Tanaka said, brushing at some lint on her skirt. “I suppose we’ll have to be sure to watch the rumors, right girls? We don’t want anyone spreading untrue things about the president and his secretary’s forbidden romance, right?”

“Right!”


End file.
